Marijuana legalization: Turn back federal prohibition

The feel-good article about the vibe at Hempfest missed the major news [“After legalization, Hempfest more celebration than protest,” Local News, Aug. 15]. On Friday, a sitting United States representative, Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif., spoke at Hempfest to call for major changes to federal law.

Rep. Rohrabacher, a 26-year veteran in the House and a tea party icon, led the House’s successful vote to let the states decide marijuana policy by changing federal laws that make marijuana a schedule I controlled substance. The Democrat-controlled Senate killed the bill, though many Democrats had joined the tea party caucus in the House to pass it.